Tina Goes to Wimbledon!

Last Tuesday, 20th August 2019, one of Crowthorne Tennis Club’s top players went to Wimbledon, writes Alison Nicholson.  Not particularly unusual, you might think, lots of us have looked round the All England Club.  But read on… Tina Stern actually played at Wimbledon!

Tina (second left in the photo) and her partner Julie Chappell play together at County level (for Cornwall) and thought they would have a go at the British Senior Championships at the AELTC this year.  They were placed on the reserve list.  Then the Thursday of the previous week they received a call, asking if they could play as one pair had withdrawn.  Of course they agreed.

Their draw was tough, versus the no 1 seeds Jan Mort and Adele Pearson.  But with nothing to lose, Tina and Julie took the first set 6-4!   As they realised what they had just achieved, our players Tina and Julie lost the next set 2-6, and then narrowly lost the championship tiebreak.  Just as well, as Tina had only taken one day’s leave from work, and the next match would have been on the following day…

Other celebrities taking part in various competitions alongside Tina were Mark Cox and Roger Taylor, both playing  in the 75+ Mens singles, both winning love and love.  Not bad, playing singles at 75+.

Tina is now inspired enough to have a new goal: to be British champion in the 80+ ladies singles.  Maybe she’ll get there before then, and let’s hope some of us will still be around to cheer her on at the time.

Places must be booked in advance via the Members’ Area and selections will then be confirmed on the morning or evening before the event.  Please do not turn up if you have not been selected as you will be turned away. Players are selected on a first come first serve basis usually in multiples of 4 players.  Note that none of these sessions is suitable for beginners.

  • Note that the Committee tries to accommodate the wishes of members, within the constraints of time and 4 courts, but a session for each ability level is the guiding principle.
    • The Friday session is for recreational and higher players and runs from 6pm to 8pm
    • The Thursday 5:30 session is for intermediate players and runs from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.
    • The Thursday 7:30 session is for intermediate and advanced players including potential team players and runs from 7:30 to 9:30pm.
    • The Tuesday session is for advanced players and runs from 7pm to 9pm. 
    • In all cases you must commit to the full two hours.
  • Before the session you will have been told by the organiser your starting court, your partner and your opponents.
    • These will take into account each player’s normal playing standard with the best players starting on court 1 and, with 16 players, the least able players on court 4.  However, the organiser may occasionally decide to organise it differently such as a “lucky dip” for starting court & partner.
    • In addition, for the Thursday 7:30 session, the organiser will take into account any pairings for matches at the coming weekend.
  • Play is split into 3 rounds lasting 40 minutes each.  Play 1 set with normal deuce scoring.  If you finish early either carry on or mix in your 4.
    • If you haven’t finished the set after 40 minutes and the scores are level, play a sudden death point
  • At the end of the 40 minutes the winners of the first set played move up a court, the losers move down a court (court 1 is the top court). Winners on the top court stay, as do the losers on the bottom court. If you didn’t finish your set then the pair winning at the time moves up.
  • Pairs then split partners with the pair joining them and you play a second round.
    • Partners are selected by spinning rackets or using common sense to try to get a balanced 4.
  • Exactly the same happens for the third round.

Drop-In club nights are, as the name implies, more informal sessions than the bookable ones and you can arrive and leave when you like.  Those attending organise themselves, changing who plays with whom after most present have completed a set, although there’s often a more senior member present who  will take charge if needed.

We are currently running 2 Drop-In  sessions for all levels from Starter upwards…

  • The Tuesday session has recently been rebranded for All Levels and runs from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.  If you want to sit out and watch, maybe with a drink, you can do that too.  If you’ve arrived early for the 7 o’clock session, you’re also welcome to join in.
  • The Wednesday session is for all levels of player including beginner and usually runs from 7:30pm to 9:30pm.
    • You can expect members attending adult coaching to join in.
  • The Sunday session is for All levels and runs from 3:00 – 5:00pm.

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